Tag: england

Review: The Twelfth Enchantment

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Twelfth Enchantment, TheDavid Liss, The Twelfth Enchantment

As a young woman of no fortune in 19th-century England, Lucy Derrick’s choices are extremely limited. Her parents are dead, so she is forced to live with her odious uncle and his cruel housekeeper. Her only means of escape is to accept the advances of a prosperous local mill owner, but she doesn’t love the man and has delayed making a final decision. But everything changes when Lucy encounters the dashing Lord Byron, the principal landowner in the area. Byron shows up on Lucy’s doorstep with a mysterious illness that is soon revealed to be magical in origin. To Lucy’s surprise, she is actually able to help him through exercising her own magical abilities. This chance encounter leads Lucy into a shadowy world whose existence she had never before suspected — a world of changelings and faeries and soulless beings who cannot die. Assisted by her friend Mary Crawford (of Mansfield Park fame) and by Jonas Morrison, the man who once broke her heart, Lucy must navigate a supernatural power struggle and find an ancient spell book that will vanquish her immortal enemies once and for all.

This was my first encounter with David Liss, and I think it’s probably not the right entry point into his work. My understanding of his other books is that they are serious historical fiction, with plenty of exploration of the gritty realities of life in former eras. This book contains a lot of those same concerns, with Luddites and Rosicrucians both being fairly integral to the plot. But at the same time, this novel also has a lot of Regency romance tropes, like the lovely but impoverished young woman who seeks marriage both for love and for economic stability. As a result, the book felt slightly schizophrenic to me. Personally, I was more interested in Lucy’s individual character development and her romantic relationships than in the broader power struggle, so everything about the aforementioned Luddites and Rosicrucians was a real slog for me. In other words, it’s too heavy for a light, fluffy read; but the Regency-romance elements detract from the serious historical fiction aspects of the book. Some things did work for me, particularly the central romance, but overall I think the book suffers from trying to blend two very different genres.

Review: Illusionarium

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IllusionariumHeather Dixon, Illusionarium

Jonathan has always viewed himself as a completely ordinary young man. He works as an apprentice to his father, one of the foremost scientists in the city, but he is preparing to go to university in a few months. However, all his plans are derailed when the king tasks his father with an important assignment. All throughout the country, a terrible illness is gripping its women, and now the queen has succumbed. Jonathan and his father have only a few days to find the cure before she dies. Their only hope seems to lie with Lady Florel, the most famous scientist in the country. She suggests using a drug called fantillium, which causes shared hallucinations and can thus be used to speed up the apparent passage of time. This will effectively give Jonathan and his father more time to experiment with a cure. Jonathan soon discovers that he is skilled at using fantillium to create hallucinations, or illusions, to impress his audience. But his use of the drug has a dark side, as well as the potential for a shockingly drastic effect on his entire society.

This is a book with a lot of interesting ideas, but it all felt a little half-baked to me. I think the problem is that there are too many plotlines for this relatively short novel, and I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to focus my attention. There’s the “race against time to find a cure for the disease” story, which does get resolved in the end, but we still don’t know much about what caused the disease or why it only affects women (at least, not that I can remember). There’s the “look at this cool drug that causes illusions, but what about the possible negative consequences?” story, which is probably the most developed plot. But to me, it seemed a bit inconsequential in the end…while the illusions would probably be great to watch on the big screen, they’re not particularly exciting in book form. And then there’s some business with parallel universes, but those are never really explained or explored either. I did like Jonathan as a character, and I loved his enemy-turned-ally Lockwood. But unfortunately, character development definitely takes a backseat to plot in this book. Overall, it’s not a bad read, but I wasn’t particularly engaged by it.

Review: Funny Girl

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Funny GirlNick Hornby, Funny Girl

This novel, set in the 1960s, tells the story of Barbara, a girl whose only dream growing up was to go on television and make people laugh. When she wins a local beauty pageant and realizes that she’s about to become stuck in a small-town rut forever, she moves to London to pursue her goal. Her good looks attract the attention of an agent, but all he wants is for her to stand there and look pretty in various insipid commercials. Eventually, however, by sheer luck she teams up with a group of comedy writers who are trying to develop a new show for the BBC. There are Tony Holmes and Bill Gardiner, who have been writing partners for years; there’s Dennis Maxwell Bishop, the meek producer who’s trapped in an unhappy marriage; and there’s Clive Richardson, the handsome, arrogant actor who will be playing the male lead in the show. Against all odds, Barbara — now using her stage name of Sophie Straw — lands the part, and the show becomes an unexpected hit. Throughout its run, Sophie and her colleagues must deal with love affairs, identity crises, divorces, and changing artistic visions; but in the end, they are inextricably linked by the shared bond of creating a show that changed all their lives.

I’m a big fan of Nick Hornby’s books, so I was excited to read this latest release. It’s a bit different from his earlier works — still very funny, but in a subtler way. My favorite parts of the book are when the four main characters are just sitting around, discussing the show and trying to break new stories. It’s a pleasure to watch them all interact and tease each other. It’s obvious that, regardless of the personal issues these characters might have with each other (or in their lives outside of work), they are all genuinely fond of each other. Because of this focus on the characters, there’s not a whole lot of plot in the book; it covers the show from beginning to end, then goes forward in time to explore what happens to Sophie and the other characters. To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the time jump; it made the book drag on and minimized the various setbacks and triumphs that occurred during the show’s run. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book overall and would recommend it to people who like character-driven books, as well as people who are nostalgic for ’60s-era television.

Review: Rook

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RookSharon Cameron, Rook

Centuries after a shift in the Earth’s magnetic poles triggered an apocalyptic event, civilization has been rebuilt, but almost every form of technology is regarded with grave suspicion. In the Sunken City (formerly known as Paris), a revolution has established an oppressive new regime, and everyone who opposes it is ruthlessly executed. But one person dares to flout the authority of this new regime by stealing political prisoners away from their very jail cells: the Red Rook, who boldly leaves a crow’s feather tipped in red in the place of each escapee. No one suspects that the Red Rook is a teenage girl, Sophia Bellamy, who lives in the neighboring Commonwealth. With the help of her brother Tom, her friend Spear, and a small band of loyal friends, Sophia hopes to rescue as many doomed people from the Sunken City as she can. But her plans are complicated by her betrothal to the empty-headed social butterfly René Hasard. Despite her distrust of him, however, Sophia can’t help being attracted — especially when she discovers that his foppish persona might be an act. When a mission goes awry and Tom is captured, Sophia is forced to ask for René’s help, but can she really trust him?

Obviously, this book is an homage to one of my very favorite books, The Scarlet Pimpernel, but I was pleased to discover that it’s very much its own story. The basic idea of a daring rescuer with a secret identity is the same, but the plot diverges very significantly from the original story. I wouldn’t have minded a stricter retelling, but I’m glad this book was able to be inspired by the Pimpernel without simply copying it. I’m not sure how I feel about the science fiction elements; technically we’re in a post-apocalyptic world, but that doesn’t really seem to be necessary to the story, and it sometimes felt distracting. On the other hand, there are a few fun moments where the characters speak reverently about little bits of neon plastic, which are great treasures in this anti-technological world. Overall, I enjoyed both the action-filled plot and the romance, although the latter was a bit TOO romance-y for me (a little too much russet hair and piercing blue eyes and whatnot). I also think René’s true nature could have been left in a little more doubt, which would have increased the dramatic tension. But I did like this book a lot, and Pimpernel fans should definitely check it out!

Review: The Rose Rent

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Rose Rent, TheEllis Peters, The Rose Rent

In this 13th installment of the Brother Cadfael series, the Benedictine Abbey of Saints Peter and Paul is disturbed by yet another murder — and this time the victim is one of their own. Judith Perle, a young widow, rents a valuable cottage to the abbey in exchange for a single white rose to be paid from its garden once a year. Brother Eluric is charged with delivering the rose, but a few days before payment is due, he is found dead in the cottage garden. Moreover, the rosebush has been disfigured, its branches hacked off. As the monks mourn Brother Eluric’s death, Cadfael wonders who could have done such a terrible deed. His investigation ultimately centers around Judith Perle, whose wealth and beauty have attracted several new suitors. Because of the cottage’s value, any man who married Judith would want it to be included in her dowry; and if the abbey failed to pay the rose rent, the cottage would return to Judith’s estate without restrictions. As Cadfael searches for Brother Eluric’s killer among the men in Judith’s life, a kidnapping and a second murder ultimately reveal the culprit.

It’s hard to believe that a series could still be good after 13 books, but this latest installment of the Cadfael series was just as enjoyable to me as the first book. There’s a definite formula to this series: there’s almost always a romantic subplot, and the real-life historical events of the era occasionally impinge on Cadfael and the other inhabitants of Shrewsbury. But if you enjoy this formula, which I do, you’ll love the series! I always recommend starting with book one, [A Morbid Taste for Bones], but I think you could read this book without missing any key information and without spoilers for the earlier books. As for this novel in particular, I really don’t have much else to say about it! Simply put, I liked it and will continue with the series. Only seven more books to go!

Review: Here’s Looking at You

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Here's Looking at YouMhairi McFarlane, Here’s Looking at You

Aureliana Alessi was never the most popular girl in school. On the contrary, her bushy hair, dumpy figure, and acne-filled complexion ensured that she was frequently teased and bullied. Her worst torment of all came at the hands of James Fraser, the popular boy she had a crush on, who brutally humiliated her at the end-of-year talent show. Now, 10 years later, Aureliana has shed her old persona and her old name: she goes by Anna, and she loves her job as a history professor. But when her department agrees to assist a local museum with an upcoming exhibit, Anna is shocked to run into James Fraser again; he’s part of the publicity firm handling the exhibit. James is as handsome as ever, but he still seems to be the same shallow, self-absorbed person he was in high school. Worst of all, he doesn’t even recognize Anna, much less remember what he did to her. Nevertheless, as Anna and James start to spend more time together, they gradually become friends. She even finds herself harboring romantic feelings for him again. But will their fragile relationship survive when James discovers who Anna really is?

When I first heard about this book, the plot summary intrigued me right away. It seemed like the kind of thing that could be done either very well or VERY badly, depending on how the author handled the situation. I also felt a personal connection to the plot, since I was frequently picked on in school, and those experiences definitely still affect me today. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I found Anna a very relatable character, and her various emotions toward James — everything from anger to desire to embarrassment — made sense to me. I also think James is portrayed very well. He’s not an admirable character, especially in the beginning of the book; he’s selfish and lost, and the company he keeps isn’t helping. But his backstory is just sympathetic enough that I was rooting for him to change, and I could understand why Anna wanted to be around him. Toward the last third of the book, I realized that this book borrows its basic outline from [Pride and Prejudice], which was a nice bonus for me! But the novel stands very well on its own merits, and I’d recommend it to people who like their chick lit with a little depth.

Review: Murder Underground

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Murder UndergroundMavis Doriel Hay, Murder Underground

Miss Euphemia Pongleton is an unpleasant old woman living in a dreary but respectable London boardinghouse. When she is strangled on the steps of the Belsize Park underground station, her fellow boardinghouse residents are surprised rather than saddened; but they soon move past their shock to speculate on who might have done the deed. The police have arrested one suspect, the boyfriend of a maid in the boardinghouse who had been involved with some petty thievery. But the maid is convinced her man is innocent, and the boarders entertain themselves by coming up with alternate theories of the murder. Naturally, Miss Pongleton’s nephew Basil, who always seems to need money and who depends on inheriting his aunt’s fortune, is a prime suspect. But Basil, despite some highly suspicious behavior on the day of the murder, insists that he is innocent. Are his protests a clever ruse, or could someone else in the boardinghouse have wanted Miss Pongleton dead?

This was a very enjoyable Golden Age mystery, although there’s really nothing that makes it stand out from the genre as a whole. But sometimes formulaic plots are comforting, and that’s why I usually enjoy mysteries from this era. There’s the unpleasant murder victim whom we don’t need to mourn; a variety of suspects with a variety of motives, secrets, and questionable alibis; the secondary love story; and the amateur detectives who solve the crime without the involvement or assistance of the police. The mystery is well plotted, and I didn’t guess who the murderer was (although I suspected almost every character at one point or other). There are also some lovely bits of humor, such as when the boardinghouse residents fight tenaciously — but silently — over who gets to sit in Miss Pongleton’s chair. All in all, I’d recommend this to fans of Golden Age mysteries, but it’s definitely not a stellar example of the genre.

Review: Darkness at Pemberley

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Darkness at PemberleyT.H. White, Darkness at Pemberley

This mystery novel begins at Cambridge, where a history don and an undergraduate are nearly simultaneously found shot in their rooms. The local police are called, and Inspector Buller is assigned to investigate. At first it appears that the don murdered the student and then killed himself, but Buller notices a few oddities in the don’s rooms that contradict this murder-suicide theory. He subsequently uncovers a drug scandal in the college and eventually discovers the real murderer’s identity. Unfortunately, the murderer has a cast-iron alibi, so Buller is forced to let the man go free. Buller then goes to visit his friend Charles Darcy at Pemberley and tells him about the murders. Charles, enraged by this injustice, goes to Cambridge to threaten the murderer. When Buller discovers this, he is terrified, knowing that the murderer will now come after Charles in retaliation. Almost immediately, strange things begin to happen at Pemberley, and Buller is convinced that the murderer is hiding somewhere in the house or grounds. Can he catch the murderer before his friend becomes the next victim?

Obviously, I was drawn to this book because of the title; any Austen fan will immediately recognize Pemberley as the name of Mr. Darcy’s grand estate in Pride and Prejudice. Sadly, from my point of view, there’s very little connection to Austen’s novel in this book, except that the current inhabitants of the house are still called Darcy. But this is still a very interesting and suspenseful book, despite the fact that it’s a bit schizophrenic. The first part of the book seems like a traditional locked-room mystery, and the solution is both complicated and ingenious. But as I mentioned, the murderer’s identity is discovered fairly early in the book. The novel then shifts to more of a suspense/thriller, as the inhabitants of Pemberley wait for the murderer to make his move so that they can catch him. The novel genuinely creeped me out in places; the idea of being trapped in a maze of a house, with someone pursuing you whom you can’t see, is absolutely claustrophobic and terrifying to me! So if you enjoy that kind of thing, I definitely recommend this book!

Review: Snobbery with Violence

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Snobbery with ViolenceMarion Chesney, Snobbery with Violence

Captain Harry Cathcart has recently been invalided out of the army and is looking for something to do with himself. Since he is a gentleman, he is not expected to work for a living; yet, although he is the younger son of a baron, the upper classes don’t entirely accept him as one of their own. Putting his ambiguous social standing to use, Harry becomes a discreet fixer for members of the upper class with problems that they’d like to keep quiet. In this capacity, he is hired to investigate Sir Geoffrey Blandon, a suitor of Lady Rose Summer, because Lady Rose’s father is unsure of the man’s intentions. Harry quickly discovers that Sir Geoffrey intends nothing honorable, but when Rose learns of Harry’s activities, she is furious with him. Unfortunately, Rose and Harry soon meet again at the Marquess of Hedley’s house party; but their constant bickering must take a backseat when one of the guests is found dead. Harry suspects murder and begins to investigate quietly. But when Rose insists on getting involved, her interference could prove deadly.

I’ve had a streak of disappointing books lately, and unfortunately, this one is no exception. I loved the idea of this book — mystery and romance in Edwardian England — but the execution fell sadly flat. Every character was a cardboard cutout, including the two protagonists. Harry is a dour alpha male type, while Rose is a feisty 21st-century heroine in period costume. She befriends her maid (a former actress), is active in the suffragette movement, and doesn’t enjoy the Season’s balls and parties like other girls do. Such characters could be interesting, if they ever rose above caricatures, but they never spoke or behaved like real human beings. The book occasionally attempts to comment on the social inequities of the era, but even its depiction of class struggles is superficial, not thought-provoking. As for the mystery, I can’t remember a thing about it, so I guess it was fine, but certainly nothing extraordinary. Marion Chesney is an extremely prolific author — she also writes as M.C. Beaton — so maybe her other books and series are better. But I have no hesitation in recommending others to skip this one!

Review: High Rising

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High RisingAngela Thirkell, High Rising

This gentle novel chronicles daily life in an English village between the wars. The protagonist is Laura Morland, a widowed mother of four sons, who earns a living by writing popular but insubstantial novels. Though three of her boys are grown up, she has her hands full with the youngest, Tony, who is currently obsessed with toy trains. She also observes the follies and foibles of her neighbors and friends, and she is not above interfering when the situation warrants it. For example, wealthy widower George Knox has just hired a conniving secretary who bullies his daughter and appears determined to become his wife; since George is oblivious, Laura takes it upon herself to get rid of the odious woman. Then there’s Sibyl Knox, a sweet young girl with no matrimonial prospects as yet, but Laura has a particular match in mind. And finally, there’s loyal Anne Todd, who has sacrificed everything to care for her sick mother but who still longs for a little romance. Can Laura surmount these various obstacles and ensure happy endings for all involved?

This is my first encounter with Angela Thirkell, but it definitely won’t be my last! In the past few years, I’ve discovered that I really love the types of books published by Persephone, Virago, and Bloomsbury. They’re usually written by women, usually in the 20th century prior to World War II, and they usually deal with the quiet, domestic problems of village life. For me, these books are a form of escapism to a (supposedly) simpler time, but they are also wonderful character studies that explore various forms of human weakness with humor and compassion. In this book, for example, there are no real heroes or villains; even Miss Grey, the objectionable secretary, is ultimately more pathetic than evil. The book is sweet and often quite funny, especially in its descriptions of Tony. I was a little disappointed that Laura herself didn’t end up finding a suitable match, but I suppose that only adds to the realism of the book. Overall, I’m not sure I’ll be re-reading this particular book, but I’ll definitely be continuing with the Barsetshire series!

N.B. I should add that the edition I read (pictured) is full of typos, misspellings and other errors. I’d suggest finding a different version if you can!